Digital India BHASHINI Division Showcases AI Innovations in Uttar Pradesh
The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) participated in the AI Led Innovation and Capacity Building Conference organized by the Centre for e-Governance (CeG) in Lucknow on January 20, 2026. This event brought together high-ranking officials from the State Government, representatives from the Government of India, industry leaders, and academic institutions to discuss strategies for enhancing the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), advancing digital skills, and fostering innovation within the State.
The conference featured engaging technical sessions covering a wide range of topics, including AI applications, collaborations with industry, skilling initiatives, and state-level AI programs like the FutureSkills PRIME Programme and the AI PRAGYA initiative. These sessions aimed to build the institutional and human infrastructure necessary for adopting AI responsibly and at scale.
Highlighting the BHASHINI Platform
One of the key sessions focused on the BHASHINI platform, emphasizing its critical role in facilitating multilingual and voice-driven digital governance. The discussion showcased various advanced technologies, including translation APIs, automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech, and conversational AI tools, all designed to improve access to public services for citizens across diverse linguistic backgrounds. A live demonstration of Shrutlekh, a speech-to-text and translation tool developed by BHASHINI, was presented, highlighting its capability for real-time transcription and multilingual translation in governance contexts.
Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India BHASHINI Division, delivered a comprehensive presentation titled “Sharing Experiences in Co-Creating an AI-Based, Voice-First, Multilingual Platform.” He remarked, “Artificial Intelligence can serve citizens effectively only when it understands Indian languages and is trained on indigenous data that reflects local contexts and usage.” This statement reinforces the need for AI systems to be tailored to the realities of everyday language use across various regions and sectors.
Empowering Multilingual AI Capacity
The session highlighted BHASHINI’s approach to developing multilingual AI capabilities that are grounded in Indian linguistic nuances. The initiative encourages active citizen participation in contributing to and validating language data, bolstered through partnerships with startups, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders. Capacity building is integrated throughout the AI lifecycle, ensuring that systems evolve through continuous feedback, thus paving the way for adaptive language AI solutions.
Significantly, the BHASHINI platform supports over 36 languages in text and exceeds 22 languages in voice applications. With the deployment of more than 350 AI language models and integration across over 500 websites, it boasts over 100 active use cases encompassing regional dialects like Awadhi and Braj, thereby fostering deeper local engagement.
The active participation of the Digital India BHASHINI Division at the conference reaffirmed its commitment to aiding State Governments in adopting multilingual, voice-enabled, and AI-driven solutions. This engagement aligns seamlessly with the Government of India’s vision of instilling Indian languages in Digital Public Infrastructure and advancing inclusive AI-based governance across the States.
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